1. Field
This invention relates to shelves in general and more particularly to types of shelves and shelf assemblies that are used in wall corners.
2. Prior Art
There are many types of shelves existing in the market consisting basically of a shelf connected to supports that may, or may not, be visible after installation. Some shelves are produced for simplicity and inexpensive manufacturing, some are produced for strength and stability, and some are produced to look good by hiding any support structures, but the combination of these qualities is elusive.
Traditional shelves consist of a flat plank of wood or plastic laid on top of a support structure. The support structures can be pegs, rails, brackets, braces, or the like. With this type of construction, the shelf is generally supported from the bottom, and the shelf is prone to move from side-to side, tip up or down, and slide away from the wall. Additionally, shelves constructed of wood or plastic are prone to bow, buckle, stretch or sag over time. Many methods to overcome these problems involve improved brackets, supports and shelf configurations. However, these improvements create additional problems such as increased cost to manufacture or complexity of installation, weakened integrity of the shelf, or unattractive supports.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,036,184 shows a corner shelf secured to its supports by inserting the shelf apex into a gap that is formed by installing two vertical supports spaced apart the width of the shelf. The shelf is also prevented from sliding forward by blocks installed into the walls in front of the shelf. This construction is problematic because it requires multiple support strips be installed to form the supporting gap and the patent specifically states the front blocks must allow the shelf to tip upward at its front.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,886,236 shows a corner shelf secured to a wall within a bracket running the length of the top and bottom of the shelf. This construction prevents tipping, but only so long as the brackets themselves do not pull away from either the walls or the wall corner. Further, this construction lacks a method to prevent the shelf from sliding forward from the wall and the top portion of the bracket is clearly visible along the top sides of the shelf. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,799,803 shows a cantilevered shelf and shelf bracket that supports a shelf at its top and bottom, but the bracket along the top sides of the shelf is clearly visible and this construction is specifically designed to allow the shelf to tip upward at its front.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,404,822 shows an example of a glass shelf supported by strong braces below it. The braces, however, are large, cumbersome, unattractive, and noticeably visible through the glass shelf. This shelf construction is problematic because it allows the shelf to move side-to-side, to tip up, and to move away from the wall.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,059,128 and 5,922,654 show shelves supported by brackets designed to give strength and stability to the shelf, but each construction is highly complex and involves multiple pieces underneath the base of the shelf. Not only are these constructions complex to manufacture and install, but they are also unsuitable for any type of glass or transparent shelf material.
There are numerous examples of shelf assemblies that hide all supporting structures to increase the attractiveness of the shelf. The problem each of these assemblies presents is that the shelf must either have some sort of tongue protruding from it to fit into a complementary wall groove or bracket, or the shelf must have some sort of recess, hole, groove or cavity that will receive complementary support structures. In most of these examples the integrity of the shelf material is compromised and in all cases the construction is unsuitable for any type of glass or transparent shelf material.